Chapter Four: Labyrinth Part Four

They charge out of the tunnel with wild abandon and a ear piercing screech, and what they are I have no idea. I rush forward to meet them with Rashid, and I unleash my aura and it fills my body with a comforting warmth. Rashid arrives first a stake in one hand and chain wrapped around the other, he spins his stake into a deadly blur before sending it into the oncoming horde, cutting into the things in front of us and spending black liquid into the air and body parts everywhere.

I make an effort and stop myself before I get in Rashid’s way and a stake in my chest. I stay out of range of Rashid, or what I think his range is, but get a good look at the horde in front of us.

They’re all vaguely humanoid, but they move on all fours like a animal.

Their skin is all sagging, oily and pitch black.

Just watching them made me want to lose my lunch, but they’re faces are even worse. They have no eyes or nose, just the same sagging black flesh, and they weren’t winning any beauty contest already. They also have these huge, triangular ears on the top of their heads, and odd little mouths that have a hideously long and blood red tongue lolling out.

They keep charging at Rashid with the same recklessness, all jumping and leaping at him or trying to slash him with they’re deformed claws only to be shred to pieces by Rashid's silver chains or ran through by his stakes. But as overwhelmingly strong as Rashid is I notice that he’s slowly getting push back and a couple get through charging at me.

I get into a stance, and one jumps at from over twenty feet away. It comes at me like a sickly, sweet and pitch black meteor. I lower my body just as it’s about to pass over me and spring back up with my sword running it through. That doesn’t stop it though and keeps struggling, so I throw it off my sword onto the wall. That stuns it and I run over and stomp it’s head into the wall till it’s a black messy paste.

But the warning flares go off in my mind, and I turn around sweeping my sword through a charging monster, cleaving it in twain. I look and see at least ten more coming my way and Rashid still tearing through the horde. I feel my blood sing in my ears as the monsters come at.

My aura starts thumping in with my blood, almost like it’s as excited as me. I rush forward and slash throw the first ones out stretched hand and arm, and followed by kick that smashs its skull. Two of them jump through the air at me at the same time, and I run one through and grab the other one by it’s disgusting and saggy neck. Throw the one that I impaled at the wall, and I crush the other's neck, then decapitate it.

I drop the body and duck underneath as one jumps over me, but then I tense my legs and jump up, grab it by the leg and swing it into the ground then bring my knee onto it’s head and crushing it like a spoiled piece of fruits. With it’s death I can feel my aura sing to as it revels in my battle and growing stronger too. I charge over to the one I threw at the wall and swing my sword through it, cutting it through from neck to groin. I smile madly looking at the death, and turn to the remaining creatures, they almost seem to flinch at my gaze and as my aura flows over them.

The fight doesn’t last much longer, as I pummel and cut down the one’s that make it past Rashid, whose cut down almost all the horde, oh spoke too soon he just killed the last one. He has a hand on a silver stake that’s pressing into a monster, and seems to lean on it for a second, before quickly turning around. He stares at me for a moment, then lets a breath out.

He looks around at me carnage and smirks and says snidely “Couldn’t have been a bit cleaner?”

Ignore the jab and ask having his attention on me I ask “So what are these things?”

Rashid takes a breath, before saying “These are Defiled, I don’t think I need to elaborate anymore, do I numbskull?”

I glare at Rashid and say “Yeah, yeah I know what Defiled are, they’re what’s being fought on the frontlines. But what are they doing down here?”

Rashid smirks and says “Ooh, I could tell you, but where would the fun be in that numbskull? I’ll tell you when get to our destination if you haven’t figured it out yourself.”

Hmm. Alright smartass I’ll play your game.

Rashid speaks up again “Oh and one more thing.”

“What is it?” I ask with annoyance.

Rashid says dryly “You stink give me some space.” He add a little shooing motion with his hand.

I glare at him, and then take a whiff at my clothes. My head spins around like I was hit, and I start to blanch and cough. Ok I do smell, you win this round Rashid.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

I cleave through the last of what must be the dozenth group of Defiled today. We have been running into group after group, more and more the further down the tunnels we went. And Rashid is making me do all the fighting, says I need the practice, not that I mind It just gets a little repetitious with how weak these guys are. I’m sure are some are stronger than the others, but I haven’t notice yet.

Anyway Rashid, who’s riding on the cart and guiding me, says the amount of Defiled is a good sign, and that we are getting closer. I didn’t really care, I just want to fight something strong, but good news if there’s one thing I know about Defiled is that they get stronger with age, so maybe there’s some-, why’s my foot not hitting the ground?

I feel my stomach drop and gravity grabbing a hold of me, fear latches onto me and tempts me to look down, and like the idiot I am I do. I see that I’m very high up with one foot in the air and the other on a crumbling sheer cliff. Aw shit.

I try my best to keep balance but I’m slowly tipping forward.

So I jerk backwards push off with my leg that’s not in the air, but all I do is push the cart back and feel the ground leave my feet, and my back hits the ground.

I scrape against trying to get a hold, but my hands can’t find any place to grasp and I’m slowly being dragged over the edge.

Soon only my forearms are what’s keeping me from the edge of a very long fall. I know I shouldn’t but I look down. Ugh, that’s a bad idea, It must be a thousand or more foot drop, I don’t know if I could survive that….. My arms are still slipping, so I guess I’m going to find out. My arms slip, and I fall gravity relentlessly accelerating me, and my stomach flies into my heart, but then before I fall any further a silver chain falls past me and I grab it. My hands burn and cry out as I slide to a stop, but I’m alive.

I hear Rashid’s raspy voice yell out “Boyo! You still kicking?!”

I yell back up “Yeah! Thanks for the save!”

I can hear him snicker and yell “Alright here’s what I want you to do, aside from dying of course! Take a look down and tell me what you see!”

I look down and am taken aback at what I see.

I yell to him “A-A city! A huge city, bigger than any I’ve ever seen! It must go on for miles and miles! It’s so beautiful!”

I hear Rashid sigh contently and yell down a moment later “Good we’re here then boy! Welcome to the Nameless City, the city built by the Ancients or maybe the Blooded! We are not very sure! That’s why we call it the Nameless City!”